Pendoring invites publishers of books in indigenous languages to enter cover designs for awards

Pendoring invites publishers of books in SA's indigenous languages to enter their most striking book cover designs/print media projects for this year's awards. With only 8.4% of South Africans speaking English as their mother tongue, there are boundless opportunities for literature in our indigenous languages.

In 2020, the Pendoring committee saw growth in the number of book cover design entries for literature in indigenous languages.

Last year's winners were Ubuhlalu bukaMpumi obunomlingo by Lebohang Masango (New Africa Books), Pienk Ceramic Hondjies by Ryan Pedro (NB Publishers), Geure by Lientjie Wessels (Annake Muller Publishing), u Kondelela by Mbedzi Nyelisani (NB Publishers) and Multingual ABC from New Africa Books.

A reminder of the cash prizes up for grabs: each gold winner receives R6,000, a gold Pendoring trophy and a certificate. Each silver winner receives R2,500, a silver Pendoring trophy and a certificate. The gold winners of all work in all the categories, with the exception of students, are considered for the Prestigious Umpetha Award, with its prize of an overseas study tour to the value of R100,000.

Entries are welcome for books in isiNdebele, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda and Xitsonga.

The deadline for entries is August 20 2021. See www.pendoring.co.za for entry details.

“The Pendorings are an important celebration of the rich diversity that makes our beautiful country so unique. We believe in the power of this diversity and embrace it, as part of living our purpose, which is to enable more people to create and secure a better future. We are thrilled to be a part of this wonderfully transformative adventure,” says Heidi Brauer, chief marketing officer at Hollard, the new sponsors of the Pendorings.

Pendoring’s campaign this year focuses on the importance of developing multilingualism in society. In a country where more than 91% of South Africans have an indigenous mother tongue, monoculture strips away dignity and rich cultural resources in favour of internationalisation. The female-led campaign by Think Creative Africa and visual artist Lady Skollie makes a bold call for mother tongues and for multilingualism to be applied at all levels of society, from early childhood development to the corporate environment. This is underpinned by the global UN Decade of Indigenous Languages that kicks off in 2022.

“As we start to look towards 2022 and the beginning of the Decade of Indigenous Languages, we do so with a sense of what could be, and a genuine optimism that South Africans will come to appreciate the richness of all 11 of our official languages, and the power of those languages to help us see the world with new eyes,” adds Brauer.

• Article issued by Sipho Mofokeng on behalf of Pendoring Advertising Awards